MAYON VOLCANO

Mayon Volcano is an active strato volcano found in Albay Bicol on the island of Luzon, Philippines. It has a perfect cone shape; It was named after a legendary folk Daragang magayon. It was among the 7 wonders of nature in the Philippines. Mayon Volcano reaches 2,460 meters and is the central feature of the Albay Province, of which Legazpi City is the capital, about 300-km southeast of Manila. It is one of the most beautiful volcanic cones in the world and is visible for miles around in the otherwise flat landscape of the region. The volcano is still active and has erupted in 2000 and 2001. There is a research station (PHIVOLCS) located about one-third of the way up that is accessible by road and is the jump-off for climbers.

Mayon Volcano is the Philippines’ most active volcano and is considered to be the world’s most perfectly formed volcano for its symmetrical cone. It is a basaltic-andesitic volcano. The upper slopes of the volcano are steep averaging 35-40 degrees and are capped by a small summit crater. Its sides are layers of lava and other volcanic material. It is located on the eastern side of Luzon, beside the Philippine Trench which is the convergent boundary where the Philippine Sea Plate is driven under the Philippine Mobile Belt. Where a continental plate or belt of continental fragments meets an oceanic plate, the lighter continental material overrides the oceanic plate, forcing it down into the Earth’s mantle. Magma may be forced through weaknesses in the continental crust caused by the collision of the tectonic plates. One such exit point is Mayon.